Vegetation growth in and around highways draw criticism

A man operates a mower Wednesday along N.C. 11 South. Grass and weed growth in unkempt highway medians have drawn criticism from local residents.

Janet S. Carter / The Free Press

By Wes Wolfe / Staff Writer

Published: Sunday, August 31, 2014 at 10:16 PM.

Sometimes grass, weeds and other vegetation between and around highways gets left alone for a while.

And sometimes growth gets high enough to cause safety concerns.

That time is now for a number of local residents who have been reaching out to see what can be done about getting mowers out there.

In Lenoir County, the mowers have been out there.

“The mowers are working,” said Brian Rick, communications officer with the state Department of Transportation. “We do have crews working in Lenoir County. They’re expected to complete this cycle by (Saturday).”

Indeed, a mower on U.S. 70 was involved in a collision Aug. 25. A full account of the incident wasn’t available at press time as the state trooper who responded to the scene had yet to file his report.

The DOT has a schedule for regular maintenance of the roadways, though it’s affected by inclement weather.

Sometimes grass, weeds and other vegetation between and around highways gets left alone for a while.

And sometimes growth gets high enough to cause safety concerns.

That time is now for a number of local residents who have been reaching out to see what can be done about getting mowers out there.

In Lenoir County, the mowers have been out there.

“The mowers are working,” said Brian Rick, communications officer with the state Department of Transportation. “We do have crews working in Lenoir County. They’re expected to complete this cycle by (Saturday).”

Indeed, a mower on U.S. 70 was involved in a collision Aug. 25. A full account of the incident wasn’t available at press time as the state trooper who responded to the scene had yet to file his report.

The DOT has a schedule for regular maintenance of the roadways, though it’s affected by inclement weather.

“Our mowing contract covers four cycles per season,” Rick said. “And, weather does impact the schedule, because you can’t go ahead and cut the grass when it’s wet. It can actually damage the (road) shoulder, and obviously cause a problem for the mower operators by putting them in danger.”

Believe it or not, the state of North Carolina medians made for a colorful exchange in a Virginia community newspaper not too long ago, with the Tar Heel State’s roadways compared favorably to those of the Old Dominion.

In September 2010, Jerry and Anne McCracken wrote in to the Chesterfield Observer about a trip to Raleigh, in which after heading south on I-95, they swung west at Rocky Mount.

“As we traveled U.S. 64, we were so impressed with the beauty of the medians,” the McCrackens wrote. “They appear clean, free of trash, mulched, recently mowed and all bushes and trees trimmed and pruned. We are told by the people who live there that this is normal and is usually the case.”

They were countered by Mosely, Va. resident Wes Spruill in a following edition, in which he said he’d rather save the gas tax money spent to finance upkeep.

“Let it keep growing, I say,” Spruill wrote. “If it’s a safe road, that’s all that matters. Who cares if the grass is short and the flowers are blooming?”

If you have concerns about the state of vegetation around local highways, contact your DOT county maintenance office — the full list can be found at ncdot.gov/contact/countycontacts.html?name=*. Lenoir County’s is located at 1629 U.S. 258 S. in Kinston.

Wes Wolfe can be reached at 252-559-1075 and Wes.Wolfe@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter @WolfeReports.